While other sports have been established for generations, dating all the way back to when barbaric gladiatorial battles in the Colosseum were the ESPN of the day. Competitive gaming has been around since only the early 70’s, hundreds of people would turn up to a single event and battle it out to see who could get the high score in any particular game. eSports remained the same up until the 90’s and the birth of the Internet. This opened a whole new world to gamers, one where they could easily compete with a seemingly endless amount of players without so much as having to leave the bedroom.

[Space Invaders Championship ’81 – Credit Newscom]

The 90’s saw some of the best game releases to date and Ultimate Doom LAN parties and speedruns were the hot topic of the day. Between ’96 and ’99, game releases such as “Quake,” “Super Smash Bros“, “WarCraft II“, and “StarCraft Brood War” began to shape what we know as esports today.

When the clock struck twelve on January 1st 2000, it also turned a new chapter in the world of online competition. Not only did we see the idea of practicing a video game become a very real and plausible idea, we also saw events grow directly because of it. Whereas before people had competed for as little as a few hundred dollars, or to get their name in the Guinness Book of World Records, now they were duking it for serious cash prizes. Though there always were rather large and serious tournaments they became much more frequent and more publicized between 2000 and 2010. Going from around a dozen a year in 2000 to over 260 estimated competitions annually in 2010. This gave players a legitimate chance to practice full-time, get sponsors, and set the final foundations.

[WCS Global Finals BlizzCon 2014 – Credit Blizzard Entertainment/WCS]

So where does this leave us today? We’ve seen giants rise in StarCraft 2, the biggest RTS in gaming right now. The battle for MOBA dominance between “League of Legends” and “DotA II”, as well as the rise, fall, and re-rise of “Counter-Strike Source” through to “Global Offensive”. League of Legends’ Championship Series Finals was viewed by over 32,000,000 people worldwide. Starcraft’s World Championship Finals was held in front of a sold out Anaheim Convention Centre and to 150,000 concurrent viewers during the live final show. Last but not least we also saw the biggest prize pool in eSports history coming in at over $10,000,000 for DotA 2’s The International 4.

Over the past forty years we’ve seen eSports grow from a homegrown backyard tournament lifestyle, into an international million dollar network that is rapidly becoming a behemoth in terms of global media. You can easily join in on the action by signing up to free-to-play games such as League of Legends or buying StarCraft II. But if you want to stay in the loop on what’s changing in the world of eSports, and what’s coming your way soon, follow us on @DingItTV for all the latest news on everything that’s anything on this ever-growing platform.

With just one day to go until the start of the latest Insomnia 53 festival, we thought we’d give you the scoop on this awesome event! Since its inception in 1999, the Insomnia gaming festival, which is the largest in the UK, has grown exponentially. It attracts visitors from all over the world, and there esports competitions attract plenty of big names. Aside from the esports tournaments – there’s loads of other events and competitions taking place this year – there’s just so much to do!

eSports

Of course, esports is a massive part of the event – and there are a huge selection across all three days. We have: League of Legends, CS:GO, Dota 2, Hearthstone, COS: Advanced Warfare, and Halo 2: Anniversary.

You can see the GiffGaff LoL final on Friday at 6.30 GMT, while the finals for the other games all occur on Sunday afternoon and evening.

Other Comps

For those who want to do something other than esports, you can compete in the cosplay contest, or the card tournaments – which include Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Cardfight!! Vanguard tournament.

BYOC

Bring Your Own Console! Whether it’s a pc, mac, laptop, or a console, bring it along and set it up in the BYOC LAN halls. Game to your heart’s content. This is also a great option for retro gamers. Team up with others via a LAN, or play alone. The choice is yours!

The Exhibition Hall

The exhibition hall is the main event – and is full of exciting things! There are free-to-enter tournaments, trade stands, consoles to try out, and pre-release editions of games to try. You can also shop the awesome retail area. The Exhibition Stage is home this year to an array of special guests, live shows, and exhibitors. This year, exhibitors include, but are not limited to: Game, Razer, Chill Blast, We Got Games, Gamereactor, Ultra Gaming Bus, and Riot Games.

Awesome Extras

And that’s not all! Aside from all that excitement, you can play in the retro gaming hall, complete with classic consoles, games, and even monitors, featuring more than 30 years’ worth of classic gaming history. Alternatively, head to the Indie zone where you can try out some of the very best Indie games around – and chat to the developers and studio representatives. Want a break from electronics? Head to the Tabletop Gaming Zone where you can interact with other players while you play card games and board games of all kinds! You can also check out the dedicated Minecraft zone – where there’s prizes to be won and games to be played. And – don’t forget to catch the panel talks and meet and greet sessions with some BIG names from around the industry!

We at DingIt will be tweeting live from the event – and we’ll be posting some awesome pics! We’ll be covering the live events, so be sure to follow us. Keep an eye on the blog, too, as we’ll be doing some awesome write-ups!

Call of Duty: WWII’s multiplayer beta, wrapped on Sept 4th and we have some info for what’s ahead for COD fans, who are already decided on purchasing the next title of the franchise or might still be on the fence.